Chapter 32: Cleaning House

Outside Jintang County, rivers and lakes were plentiful.

Each time the evening glow was cast upon the water, if a breeze swept by, golden ripples would shimmer across the surface—a rare and beautiful natural landscape.

Many commoners in the county made their living by fishing.

To them, these lakes and ponds were equivalent to money.

The name “Jintang County” originated from this very reason.

At this moment, a scholarly young girl was sitting by the lakeside, gazing at the water beneath her feet.

The face reflected on the surface was pure and delicate, yet devoid of any trace of spiritual energy, her expression incomparably gloomy.

Since being expelled from her sect, for years, Su Cheng had never felt so uneasy and restless as she did now.

Back when she was still Among the Colorful Clouds, Su Cheng had taken a long time to accept her senior and junior sisters.

Su Cheng had already confirmed that the “enemy” was only the other six in the sect.

However, what she hadn’t expected was that the appearance of Wei Ying broke the “Yu Yi Jue will no longer take disciples” rule that had stood for years.

This girl, whom she had never met, put Su Cheng on high alert.

Su Cheng investigated Wei Ying’s background and found that, whether in talent or cultivation, she was far inferior to herself.

How could such an ordinary girl be allowed to stay Among the Colorful Clouds?

The only reason Su Cheng could think of was that Wei Ying’s appearance was too outstanding—so much so that Yu Yi Jue cherished her, overlooking her talent and ability, choosing to keep her close and nurture her carefully.

With trembling hands, Su Cheng brushed aside her bangs.

Her forehead, reflected in the water, was not as smooth as one might imagine.

On her fair skin, there was a conspicuous, hideous scar.

“Damn… damn, damn, damn—”

Su Cheng gently touched the scar on her forehead.

The wrinkled sensation made her grit her teeth and curse softly.

“If it weren’t for this… if it weren’t for this ugly scar! I…”

Suddenly, urgent footsteps sounded behind Su Cheng.

“Scholar Su, finally found you, Su…”

The newcomer was a Tianshuimen disciple loyal to Su Cheng.

Sweat covered his forehead, and he was panting heavily, evidently anxious.

Just as he opened his mouth, Su Cheng turned to face him.

Their eyes met.

The Tianshuimen disciple also saw the scar on Su Cheng’s forehead.

His words stopped abruptly, unable to continue.

Silence filled the air.

The breeze stirred, flowers and grass swayed, golden waves rippled.

It should have been a beautiful scene, yet the atmosphere was suffocating and oppressive.

“You saw it just now, didn’t you?”

Su Cheng spoke.

The wind played with her hair, the scar on her forehead dancing between the strands.

Her eyes were dull and lifeless, as silent and dangerous as a pool of stagnant water.

“I… I…”

The disciple inexplicably trembled, gripped by intense fear.

He instinctively stepped back.

But before he could take a single step, Su Cheng appeared before him and covered his mouth.

“No good, if you let my secret slip, I’d be really upset.”

“Just covering your mouth isn’t enough, you could still use hand signals to reveal my secret…”

“Looks like there’s only one way.”

The unfortunate Tianshuimen disciple struggled violently for half a second, then fell silent.

Su Cheng slowly stood up, a sickly smile curling at her lips.

She muttered to herself:

“With this… I don’t have to worry about you spilling my secret anymore.”

At her feet, the Tianshuimen disciple had already turned to stone.

Su Cheng quickly regained her composure.

Looking at the stone figure beneath her, she already understood his purpose.

With several flashes, Su Cheng disappeared from the spot, rushing off toward a certain direction.

***

“Thud.”

With the fall of the last person, the one-sided battle came to an end.

Those sprawled on the ground, covered in wounds, were all Tianshuimen disciples who had followed Su Cheng.

Surrounding them was a group of mysterious figures in black, their faces hidden beneath bamboo hats.

The wounded struggled to crawl toward the leader of the mysterious group, clutching his leg in desperation.

“Please… spare us…”

The leader sighed and removed his bamboo hat.

“You all saw my face long ago, and still refuse to reveal Su Cheng’s whereabouts?”

This was none other than Sect Master Duan of Tianshuimen—Duan Xinyuan.

With Jiang Hanshan’s support, Duan Xinyuan had moved quickly, arriving at Jintang County ahead of Yu Yi Jue.

Using the information gathered, he searched the forests outside Jintang County for Su Cheng.

Instead of finding Su Cheng, he had captured several Tianshuimen disciples who had been trailing through the woods.

One managed to escape; the rest were seized on the spot by Duan Xinyuan.

He interrogated them for Su Cheng’s whereabouts.

But even when gravely injured, they remained tight-lipped, unwilling to betray Su Cheng.

Their unwavering loyalty infuriated Duan Xinyuan.

“You still have the nerve to beg me for mercy?”

Duan Xinyuan stomped hard on a disciple’s face, roaring in anger.

“Who brought you into Tianshuimen? Who nurtured your talents, step by step!? And in the end, you offered your loyalty to a sly, deceitful Fox Spirit!?!!”

Before long, the disciple beneath Duan Xinyuan’s foot ceased moving.

Seeing this, the remaining wounded trembled in terror.

They tried to stand and flee, but masters from Cold Sword Sect and Wanhua Hall stepped forward to subdue them.

“I’ll ask you one last time…”

Duan Xinyuan glared at the “traitors” before him, grinding out each word.

“Where… is Su Cheng now!?”

“I’ll tell! I’ll tell! Please, Sect Master, spare me…”

Finally, one broke under the pressure, revealing Su Cheng’s whereabouts.

“Good.”

Duan Xinyuan nodded in satisfaction, then shook his head.

“Too bad you realized it too late.”

“…What?”

Without another word, Duan Xinyuan gestured to the masters of Cold Sword Sect and Wanhua Hall—

Slash.

“Sect Master! Sect Master, please—”

The disciples, who had thought their lives spared, suddenly realized the truth and screamed for mercy.

But in the next instant, their voices were silenced forever.

The blades of Cold Sword Sect and Wanhua Hall ended their lives.

“Did you all see that!?”

Duan Xinyuan turned to the crowd behind him, his voice thunderous.

“This is the fate of those who betray me, who betray Tianshuimen!”

The members of Cold Sword Sect and Wanhua Hall remained unmoved.

The Tianshuimen disciples who had followed Duan Xinyuan shivered and swallowed hard.

They seemed to realize they had narrowly escaped death.

Had they left with Su Cheng back then, they might now be among the dead.

“Today is the day I cleanse my sect!”

Duan Xinyuan’s eyes burned with fury as he declared.

Just as his words faded, a familiar voice sounded from nearby:

“Sect Master Duan, I once thought you were just a little slow-witted, but it seems I was wrong. Your mind is completely broken.”

The tone was calm, laced with contempt and arrogance.

Duan Xinyuan recognized it instantly.

It was Su Cheng’s voice!